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You and two or three of your colleagues stand up and present the company message.

First be clear on the overall message. Then decide how each person supports that message in their portion of the presentation without duplicating.

Each presenter must have a clear yet distinct piece of the puzzle that supports the overall message.

For example you are presenting your sales message to your prospect then and you have four presenters. One is the team leader, one is the customer contact manager, one is the production foreman, and one is the logistics expert.

There must be a reason why each presenter on your team is there. That reason must be evident to your listeners. Too many presenters will muddy your message.

Each presenter on the team should deliver a distinct message that contributes to the main presentation message. With different presenters it helps that each has a slightly different style and personality. Do not dress exactly the same – that only confuses your listeners. If you all look the same, how can we tell you apart?

Million Dollar TipEach team presenter could start his/her portion with the rhetorical question, “Why am I here?” Then answer the question. That will help your listeners understand why you are there. They will be silently asking that question and will be pleasantly surprised when you voice it and answer it for them.

Follow this advice and your team presentations will be more successful and more profitable.

“In the end, the numbers speak. You demonstrated to us how to cut a 60-minute rambling presentation, into a 12-minute clear, concise and focused presentation that helped us secure a $10 million project. My team now has the knowledge, skill and attitude to present professionally.George, “Thank You”. I appreciate your expertise, your professionalism and of course, your sense of humour which lead us through some grueling sessions.”

Creating your presentation starts with you asking and answering this important question, “Why are you speaking?”

You need to answer this question before you create your presentation so you deliver the right message. If you don’t know why you are speaking – then shut up.

You should be able to verbalize the answer to this question in one short sentence. Perhaps you want the client to buy your premium service, your staff to work together like a team or your investors to contribute another million. Be clear on the answer to this question, then design your presentation to clearing answer it for your listeners.

For example a client of mine was preparing a presentation to a new prospect. We explored this question, “Why are you speaking?” They suggested that it was to show that they are capable to do the job. On further probing we realized that “capable” was not enough. What my client really wanted to get across to their prospect was that the prospect would be stupid not to buy from my client. We needed to create and deliver a presentation that positioned my client as hot and irresistible.

That realization changed the nature, words and tone of the presentation. Capable just doesn’t cut it when you want to leave the impression of hot and irresistible.

Ask yourself, “Why are you speaking?” And you will create and deliver more focused presentations.